Project Management Evolution: What The Pyramids Of Egypt Tell Us About The History Of Project Management [Infographic]

It’s so exciting to see how project management has evolved from a non-structured, non-recognized practice to one whose impact can be felt in almost every field of endeavor. Spreading its tentacles to IT, marketing, Administration, HR – project management is dropping anchor as it arrives at the port of all these other professions. A significantly varied version of the profession can be traced back to as early as the Biblical age, with the Egyptian pyramids – which have their place in history as one of the most popular, mind-blowing man-made wonders of the world.

Such a significant project like that would have seen the pharaohs of that period, unknowingly draw on the basic principles of project management.

They would have had to:

Justify the reasons for the project – The ruling class may have had a solid reason for constructing these massive tombs in the shapes of pyramids. Historians posit that the peculiar design was to help the structures withstand the elements and the test of time.

Plan for the project – They would have needed to develop elaborate plans for the pyramids, the architects would have given an estimate of how much material would be needed for construction and plans would have been made on where to source those materials from.

Those in charge of constructing these tombs would have anticipated several risks and made changes to accommodate those risks as it is evident in the various modifications that took place through 5 dynasties.

Fast-forward centuries later where projects are bigger, trans-national and much more complex; project managers are now relying on collaborative management tools to help them stay more organized and efficient.

Here’s an awesome infographic that tells us just how far we’ve come.

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